In chapter seventeen God tells Abraham: 'ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.' This is a very important Jewish tradition, and it shows the relation between Catholicism and Jewish religion in the Old Testament of the Bible. He also tells Abraham that he shall bear a son and he 'shalt call his name Isaac: and [He] will establish [His] covenant with him', this makes me think how, if covenants last through whole generations, God deals with so many of them at a time. It brings back my doubt of what these men have done to get the special treatment, Isaac isn't even born yet and he is already promised a covenant.
In chapter nineteen we hear again about Lot, Abraham's nephew. He protects and shelters two of Gods angels and so he is warned that the city will be destroyed and he and his family leava just in time to be saved. On their way out of their homes, Lot's wife looks back to the city and turns into a pillar of salt. This shows once again the humanity of God, even of His angels: they weren't warmly welcomed into a city so they decide to destroy it and kill everyone in it. It does not send a good message to me, especially the one that we always hear is supposedly sent by God: If someone hits you, turn the other cheek. This story also shows another very human aspect, although this one is shown through a human, it is impatience. When Lot's wife turns back to the city it reminds me of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice in Metamorphosis. There is a line in it, 'Is this story a story of an artist, and the loss that comes from sudden self-consciousness or impatience?' which I think fits here perfectly. For just one moment of doubt, there is a consequence so great that there is no turning back.
The next four chapters talk about Abraham and his son Isaac, who was finally born of Abraham 'in his old age'. It tells about another time when God again defended Abraham after he tells another king that Sarah is but his sister, and God takes revenge on said king. An interesting story, and one that shows us that Abraham is not just a lazy man spoiled by God (there seem to be few moments when we see this), is the story of Abraham and Isaac. God asks Abraham to take his son Isaac to make a sacrifice in a sacred mountain top, and Abraham as a faithful follower does so. When they get there Abraham realizes that the sacrifice will not be of a lamb, but of his only child. Still, as an even more faithful servant, he calmly 'bound[s] Isaac his son, and [lays] him on the altar upon the wood'. When he is ready to stick a knife in him, an 'angel of the Lord' says it's okay, he can not kill his son because he has proven himself worthy and totally devoted to God. But it's too late, Isaac is already dead. Just kidding!
In chapter twenty-three Sarah dies, and Abraham mourns for her and then gives his riches to bury 'his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre'. The next chapter talks about how Abraham sent a servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac. He finds the one who is meant to be, after being guided by God to follow certain clues, and goes back to Isaac to introduce them. They 'know' each other and then Isaac is consoled of his mother's death. This shows God's covenant in work, even from now he is making him feel better.
No comments:
Post a Comment